Can you tell us about Trudy, Madly, Deeply and what inspired the Working Stiffs Mystery Series?
Trudy, Madly, Deeply was inspired by a Sixty Minutes feature from several years back that was about a doctor in the UK who had been very quietly killing his elderly patients. Shortly after that story aired, I met someone who was a “Truth Wizard”—in her case, a “natural” human lie detector. My brain didn’t take long to connect some dots between those two elements and start cranking on a story idea. Because I was already working on another project, I set what was to become Trudy, Madly, Deeply aside to percolate. Then, in the couple years that followed I had the good fortune to meet and interview the Prosecutor/Coroner of a neighboring county here in Washington State. Once this county coroner told me that she’d hire my character because of Charmaine’s unique ability as a human lie detector, I knew I had the makings of a mystery series. I then dropped everything else I had been working on and started writing.
Do you have a favorite character in the book and is any character based on yourself?
I love all my characters (especially Char), but I have to admit that I have a special place in heart for Duke. He’s a man’s man with a salty exterior, but at his core, he’s my dad—no longer with me except in my heart and mind, and now in my books.
I’ll admit that there’s a lot of me in Charmaine: Weak around cookies (and we both hate that our bathroom scales keep reminding us to lay off those cookies and get more exercise!), coffee addict, strongly influenced at an early age by our grandmothers, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. She’s got a nose for trouble and is much more willing to jump into potentially dangerous situations than this much more conservative scaredy cat would ever be.
If a movie were made of your book, which actors would you choose to portray the various characters?
We have to fudge a bit on some of the actors’ ages, but this is how I’d cast the movie:
Char: Mary Louise Parker
Steve: Joe Manganiello
Marietta: Raquel Welch
Gram: Louise Fletcher
Duke: Robert Loggia
Aunt Alice: Cloris Leachman
Suzy: Kristin Chenoweth
Jake: Ryan Gosling
Does Char have any pets? Do you?
No pets for Char since she’s been bit of a nomad ever since her husband left her. As for me, I’ve had several dogs (a German Shepherd, a St. Bernard and a big orange retriever mix) and two cats in my life. They’re all in pet heaven now. Whenever the subject of future pets comes up at home, my husband tells me that I can have all the dogs and cats I want after he’s gone. Truly, he tempts me sometimes!
What are some of your favorite books/authors?
I have many “must read” authors: Ann Charles, Jacquie Rogers, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Linda Howard, and Janet Evanovich to name a few. Favorite books based on the number of times I’ve re-read them: Dean Koontz’s Watchers and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.
What's a typical writing day like for you?
Since I’m still working a day job, the majority of my writing time is reserved for the weekends and during “working vacations.” When I’m on deadline though, like I am now as I write book two in my Working Stiffs Mystery series, it’s butt in chair time with a page count goal no matter the day of the week. Thankfully, I’ll be leaving my day job in November and will soon have a better writing schedule.
What is one thing about you that readers might be surprised to learn?
Possibly that I’ve been a very left-brained programmer/analyst for much of my adult life. This dominant left brain of mine isn’t always the most helpful when it comes to cranking out pages since the creation process is typically viewed as a more right-brained activity. However, when it comes to crafting and planning my mysteries, I find that all my years as an organizer/analyzer come in very handy.
What are you working on now?
I’m feverishly working on book two in the series—Sex, Lies and Snickerdoodles, tentatively scheduled for release in March, 2014. So, if you enjoyed Trudy, Madly, Deeply, I hope you’ll join Char, Steve, and rest of the Port Merritt gang for all the fun in the next installment of the Working Stiffs Mystery series.
Thank you, Melissa, for hosting me on this blog tour. It was my great pleasure to join you today!
Synopsis
After human lie detector Charmaine Digby scores a job as the County Coroner’s new investigative assistant, the unthinkable happens—a doctor reports the suspicious death of Trudy, a family friend and one of several elderly patients at the hospital whose heart mysteriously stopped.
With no physical evidence of foul play, Char’s on the case, much to the irritation of Detective Steve Sixkiller, who doesn’t want her to stick her pretty nose for trouble in his investigation. But she’s a woman on a mission to uncover the truth, and she’d better keep her eyes open or the next body on the way to the morgue could be hers.
About This Author
Wendy Delaney writes fun-filled cozy mysteries and is the author of Trudy, Madly, Deeply, the launch book of her Working Stiffs Mystery series. A long-time member of Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, and Mystery Writers of America, she’s a Food Network addict and pastry chef wannabe. When she’s not killing off story people she can be found on her treadmill, working off the calories from her latest culinary adventure. Wendy makes her home in the Seattle area with the love of her life and has two grown sons.
Website: http://www.wendydelaney.com/
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7191068.Wendy_Delaney
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WendyDelaneyAuthor
Purchase Links:
Amazon
B&N
Be sure to leave a comment with your email address, in addition to the tour-wide giveaway below, I have one paperback copy of Truly, Madly, Deeply to give away! (US only, ending 9/28)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
